ABC VS BOC BASHING

ABC VS BOC BASHING

Lynette Duncan

12/26/2002

Okay, I've heard enough bashing without putting in my 2 cents. I just
recently took my ABC CP exam (and hope I passed!) I also plan to take
the BOC Orthotics exam. Why BOC? Because like so many people, I do not
have another year to spend in school. If the O and P schools were as
numerous and conveniently located like other allied health fields (ie.
nursing and PT), Then I would be there in a minute, But ABC's current
requirements include uprooting your family and moving. Many people just
are not able to do so, even though they would love to have the
education-- and the recognition that education gives them.

I am a single mother of two middle-school age daughters. The only way
was able to get my education while being a full-time mom and a full-time
student was to live on Welfare while still working part-time. (thank you
to all the tax payers that allowed me to get the education I needed!)
By the way, I purposely did not choose Northwestern Univ. as I refuse to
live on Welfare in Chicago. Government housing in Minnesota was living
as dangerously as I would allow.

There are many caring hard-working talented O & P professionals who for
many different reasons cannot uproot. Thus they choose BOC.

I did not study Orthotics because with Welfare reform, I did not have
another year to put aside. Actually I was only able to finish
Prosthetics as a fluke. Once you have a Bachelors degree, Welfare reform
will not let you continue your education.--but that's another topic for
another forum.

I am now a very happy taxpayer who refuses to go back to living on
Welfare. I will also be paying back student loans for many more years.
There really is no way for me to study orthotics formally.

Further, there are many ABC credentialed professionals who also didn't
study O& P formally. There were many people who were grand fathered in
or who were already certified when the lofty educational standards were
adopted. (I am certainly not putting down education, I really value mine
and wish that everyone in the field could be educated--but as I stated
before, it isn't very convenient or possible for many people.) Just
because someone has ABC certification doesn't necessarily mean they are
any better of a practitioner than someone with a BOC credential. There
are good and bad practitioners in both ABC and BOC.

I might add that the very first day of my residency I was introduced at
a clinic as a CPO and ordered to lie about my experience. I left his
facility after 3 months and found a much better residency (where I might
add, I did more Orthotics than Prosthetics.) My first residency was at
an ABC certified facility with a CPO, FAAOP--and though I will keep him
nameless for this forum--He also is a AOPA President for a local state
chapter!

My point is that I value my education, I'm grateful for it, but I'm not
naive enough to believe everyone with ABC credentials has the same
education and values as ABC likes to believe. We are all human and there
are many paths to this career. I would love to put CPO behind my name,
but logically I cannot see how I can do that at this point in my life.
Let's try to be kinder and judge people for there own individual values,
compassion and talent.

Lynette Duncan
soon to be CP --hopefully!!